Junior Colts v Heaton Moor, Sunday 15 February

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WILL & SKILL IN THE RAIN – COLTS TAKE THE WIN

Sunday 15 February brought grim, grey skies and relentless rain to Underley Park, but the Kirkby Lonsdale Junior Colts rose above the weather to deliver a gritty, committed performance against a strong Heaton Moor side. With a few key players returning from injury - including the welcome return of Red Bull Tipping at fly-half - Kirkby started brightly. Both teams traded early blows in midfield before the home side began to find their rhythm out wide through Nelson and Hopton. Clayton was held up agonisingly short, but relentless breakdown work from Holdsworth and the ever-busy Southey kept Kirkby on the front foot. Heaton Moor countered well, forcing Kirkby back with strong rucking and direct running.
Then came the breakthrough. Turner and Tipping combined to ignite the engine room, Black and Muldowney secured quick ball, and a flowing move through Southey, Tipping, Turner and Williams ended with Turner sending Taylor slicing through to score under the posts. Tipping added the extras. 7–0. The try lifted the crowd despite the weather, but Heaton Moor responded with pressure inside the Kirkby 22. Huge defensive shifts from Hill, Skelton-Montgomery, Parry and Hutchings held the line, and from the turnover Kirkby struck again. Slick hands from Tipping, Hutchings and Turner released the electric Williams, who raced 35 metres to score. Another Tipping conversion made it 14–0. Heaton Moor hit back with a well-executed maul from a lineout to close the gap to 14–5, but Kirkby answered immediately. Hopton powered through, Parry set the platform, and after a sweeping move involving Nelson, Stephens, Clayton and Tipping, fullback Williams finished for his second. Tipping converted. 21–5. Just before the break, Heaton Moor capitalised on sustained pressure to score and convert. Half-time: 21–12.
SECOND HALF – DEFENCE OF THE SEASON
The second half opened with heavy collisions and handling errors in the worsening conditions. Slowly, Heaton Moor built momentum, pinning Kirkby inside their own 22 for nearly 12 minutes. The defensive effort was immense - Holdsworth, Skelton-Montgomery, Black, Turner, Southey, Parry, Muldowney and Taylor all putting in huge tackles. When the dam finally broke, it was Kirkby who surged upfield. Turner led the charge, Armer steered the phases, and after Southey was stopped short, Muldowney jackalled brilliantly to win a penalty. A quick tap unleashed Harrison, who fed Black on a storming run to score through multiple defenders. Tipping narrowly missed the conversion. 26–12. Kirkby kept pushing—Hutchings carrying tirelessly, Armer releasing Nelson, Williams and Hill, but Wray was denied in the corner by a last-ditch tackle. The momentum swung again when Turner was sent to the bin, and Heaton Moor took advantage, scoring in the corner despite Tipping’s heroic cover effort. 26–17. Moments later, Tipping also saw yellow for a high tackle, leaving Kirkby with 13 men for the final minutes. But the Colts showed real composure. Hill and Parry secured the restart, Heaton knocked on, and from the resulting scrum Armer calmly booted the ball out to seal the win.
FULL TIME: KIRKBY LONSDALE 26 – 17 HEATON MOOR
A superb display of determination, skill and teamwork from both sides in brutal conditions. The Colts showed real character to defend their line, take their chances, and close out the game intelligently when it mattered.

UPCOMING FIXTURES (12:30 KO)
• 1st March – Away vs Heaton Moor
• 8th March – Home vs Caldy
• 15th March – Away vs Chester
• 21st March (Saturday) – Home vs Stockport
Please note, Kirkby in the alternative shirts, NOT red, black and amber!!